La Jornada: The presence of Russia “will be notable” at the Havana International Book Fair

Havana. Despite the problems with connectivity between Russia and Cuba, the next Havana International Book Fair, dedicated to the Eurasian nation, will have a “remarkable” representation of Russian writers, assured Moscow’s ambassador to the Caribbean island, Víctor Koronelli.

“Today, for well-known reasons, it is not easy to get from Russia to Cuba (…) there are problems with tickets and we are doing everything possible so that the representation of our country is very notable,” indicated the diplomat at a press conference.

As detailed, the special representative of the president of the Russian Federation for International Cultural Cooperation, Mikhail Shvidkoi, will lead the official delegation of the Slavic nation.

Prominent contemporary Russian writers will also arrive on the Caribbean island and more than 1,500 titles will be presented: works by great classics of literature from the Slavic country and also by contemporary authors, which will be available in both Spanish and Russian, Koronelli said.

More than 1,300 new features

For his part, the president of the Cuban Book Institute, Juan Rodríguez, reported that more than 1,300 novelties from publishers on the island will be made available to the public in physical and digital formats.

In addition, he stressed that a book fair in such difficult conditions due to the United States energy blockade is only possible with the cooperation and effort of numerous state institutions and entities.

The Havana International Book Fair was initially scheduled to be held in February of this year, but its organizers decided to postpone it due to the problems arising from the oil blockade imposed by the United States.

The meeting will now take place from August 10 to 16, in a new, smaller venue: the cultural station on Línea and 18 in the Cuban capital.

Likewise, the event will have a smaller number of days compared to previous editions, but it will also extend to all of Cuba when its first chapter ends in Havana.

On January 29, US President Donald Trump signed a decree authorizing tariffs on imports from countries that supply oil to Cuba, after declaring a state of emergency due to the alleged Cuban threat to US national security.

The measure exacerbated fuel shortages, affecting electricity generation, transportation, food production, health care and education.

The Cuban government affirms that Washington uses the energy siege to suffocate its economy and make the living conditions of its population unbearable.